Lukes gospel tells the story of Jesus meeting with Zacchaeus. The story is not recorded in any of the other gospels, so we can therefore deduce that it must have significance to what Luke wanted his readers to know.
Part of the significance may lie in Jesus choosing to stay with Zacchaeus in Jericho, when he was in fact traveling quite a distance west of there, to Jerusalem. It leaves us with a beautiful image of Jesus, on his greatest journey, to fulfil his lifes mission, drawing all of humanity back to God, and yet, values the life of one sinner enough to seek Zacchaeus out in Jericho. Reading this in the context of chapter 15, the parable of the lost sheep, we discover something of Gods desire for the lost.
Lukes focus, is very much concerned with showing Jesus' compassion towards the marginalised and socially oppressed. Zacchaeus would indeed, fall into such a category, for he was a tax collector. Not only was Zacchaeus a tax collector, but he in fact, was a chief tax collector. Tax collectors were the outcasts of Jewish society, taxing the people at incredibly high rates as a source of personal income. Zacchaeus was very rich and would have been hated around Jericho. When Jesus leaves Jericho and arrives in Jerusalem, one of his first experiences is the corruption of the city. The people who sold in the temple were exploiting the people by charging at extortionary rates. This is probably similar to what was happening the people at the hand of Zacchaeus. Yet in this story, Jesus utters the words, "Today, salvation has come to this house". What was it that caused Jesus to rebuke the sellers in the temple and declare salvation over the house of Zacchaeus? In chapter 18, what prevented the rich ruler seeking to gain eternal life, from receiving a similar pronouncement? Both were wealthy, and both sought out Jesus, however both responded differently.
Zacchaeus responds by saying he will give half of his goods to the poor and anyone he has defrauded, he will restore fourfold. The fourfold is a response to the old Mosaic law, where if a man stole an ox or sheep, killing it or selling it, he would repay five oxen for one ox and four sheep for a sheep. Zacchaeus has stolen from the people and perhaps this demonstration from him, after one encounter with Jesus, reminds us that Jesus did not come to abolish the old law, but to fulfil it.
Jesus' response to the rich ruler, "for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, that for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God", is not him saying it is impossible for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God, for what is impossible with men, is possible with God. The possibilities are seen through the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus.
In the earlier chapters of Lukes gospel, when calling his disciples, the urgency in following the call of Jesus is evident and this is also the case here, when Jesus calls Zacchaeus to hurry.
Luke begins chapter 19 by telling the reader that Jesus was passing through Jericho and in order to see Jesus, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree until he passed by that way. Of course while Jesus may just have been passing through the city, it is interesting language thats used.
The response of the crowd, to the blind beggar outside the city walls, was that Jesus of Nazareth, was passing by.
In Exodus 33, Moses asks the Lord to show him his glory. The Lord in verse 19 responds by saying, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, 'The Lord'. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy". In chapter 34, the Lord then passed before Moses.
The blind beggar who cried "Son of David, have mercy on me" received grace and mercy and saw the glory of the Lord displayed through the person of Jesus.
The Lord said to the Israelites in Egypt to cover their doorposts with blood and he would pass over them and the children of the house would be saved. Jesus declared salvation over Zacchaeus' house when he passed through Jericho. Again a wonderful demonstration of Gods glory, through Jesus.
A cry for mercy is the call of the blind beggar and its the same cry for mercy from the tax collector in chapter 18. Unlike the Pharisee, this tax collector acknowledges his sin and humbles himself before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
The thief on the cross like Zacchaeus, took advantage and stole from people. He too, recognised that he was a sinner and humbled himself before Jesus. How Jesus responds to the thief is the same way he responds to Zacchaeus. He replies 'Today, you will be with me in Paradise', and to Zacchaeus, 'Today, salvation has come to this house'. The emphasis is on 'today'. The call to follow Jesus is urgent and for today. Salvation is also for today when you come before God with a humble and contrite heart.
Finally, once Jesus leaves Zacchaeus, continuing on to Jerusalem, we can read of his triumphal entry. It is clear that the people expected something different, in the shape of perhaps a political revolution or a kingly rule. Son of David was the title given to Jesus by the blind beggar, and of course Jerusalem was the city of King David. Yet Jesus choses to enter by riding a colt, which his followers set him on. Taking the humble approach, he is exalted by the people, who praise God for his coming.
Ironically, Zacchaeus' name in both Aramaic and Hebrew means 'pure one'. Before meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus had used his abilities and resources for personal gain, becoming exceedingly rich. However, after just one encounter with Jesus, the humble King, a response is awakened within him of an outpouring of exceeding generosity.
The writer of Hebrews, quoting scripture says 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion'. Zacchaeus heard the voice of Jesus calling and opened his heart and his home and was transformed into the image of Christ.
Moses saw all Gods goodness pass before him and as Zacchaeus was transformed, if we too respond to the call of God today, we with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, will be transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Comments on Jesus heals a Paralytic (Luke 5:17-26)
Leading up to this section, we see Jesus has already begun what he set out to do. In chapter 4 he read out a piece of the scroll from the prophet Isaiah, declaring that he has been anointed to proclaim good news to the poor, bring liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the lords favour.
As Jesus continues to fulfil this prophecy, word about him is spreading and people from far and wide are travelling to see him and find out who he is. Indeed, this will be a key question throughout the gospel of Luke and we see it asked and answered in magnificent fashion in the passages 5:17-26.
In the beginning of chapter 5, Jesus is calling his first disciples, but also has a great crowd of followers. Perhaps his growing fame is why the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who were the religious leaders at the time, chose to travel from Judea and Jerusalem to find out who this Jesus was. Jesus is challenging the 'old way' and presenting a 'new way', a 'better way', and it seems the religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus.
In v17, before being introduced to the paralysed man, or his friends, Luke makes a very interesting statement about Jesus and how he has been operating in this 'new way'. He writes, 'the power of the Lord was with him to heal'. We see since Jesus' baptism and temptations that he has been operating in the Holy Spirit, although a reasonable argument could be made for him doing so before then. However, this statement should remind us of other times where this 'power' is mentioned.
We may be reminded of the passage in Acts that says 'you will receive power from on high when the spirit comes upon you'. This power released on Jesus' disciples is the same power that came upon Jesus at his baptism.
We may also be reminded of the woman in Luke 8, who touched jesus and immediately was healed. In this story, Jesus perceived that power had gone out of him.
There are similarities in the story from Luke 8 and the story of the Paralytic. There are large crowds surrounding Jesus in both but perhaps the more striking similarity is found in the answer Jesus gives.
Faith seems to be the key component. Interestingly, the woman is healed because of her faith, whereas the man is told his sins are forgiven because of the faith of his friends. Subsequently he also receives a physical healing.
Faith is not the same as believing, and in both stories their faith required action. This is wonderfully demonstrated by the effort made from the mans friends to get him to Jesus.
The question of who Jesus is, has and will continue to be asked throughout Luke and once again the pharisees question his authority to forgive sins. The last time Jesus' authority was questioned, was during the temptation narrative, when being questioned by the devil. In that instance, Jesus did not take the easy way out by giving in to temptation, but rather chose the more difficult route. When speaking to the man, it would have been easy for Jesus to just say 'your sins are forgiven', but he proved that he actually has the authority by immediately healing the man. This was undoubtedly the more difficult route. Luke uses the word Parachrma (immediately), to show the ease at which Jesus heals, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
If this demonstration wasn't enough clear evidence of who Jesus is, he also refers to himself as the 'Son of man'. Son of man is used by Jesus over 80 times throughout the gospels, and with such frequency, that its meaning lies in something far greater than just Jesus humanity. It is in fact a title of divinity seen in Daniel 7, where it says, 'one like a Son of man'. By referring to himself as 'Son of man', Jesus is directly answering the question of who he is.
The chapter ends with Jesus answering a question about fasting and again Luke is emphasising the 'new way' introduced by and through Jesus. This theme of Jesus versus religious leader of the time, is continued throughout the gospel. The very next chapter begins in verse 5 with Jesus saying the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath again showing that he is greater.
The story of the paralytic is not just a random story included by Luke but a wonderful demonstration of who Jesus is and why his way is far greater. The fact that this story is nicely positioned between two stories of Jesus calling disciples, perhaps suggests that this story has implications and importance for his followers too. As followers of Christ, this story helps us to know that this 'new way' through Jesus is the best way. The same Holy Spirit which was upon Jesus to proclaim good news to the poor, bring liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the lords favour, can come upon all those who put their faith in him.
As Jesus continues to fulfil this prophecy, word about him is spreading and people from far and wide are travelling to see him and find out who he is. Indeed, this will be a key question throughout the gospel of Luke and we see it asked and answered in magnificent fashion in the passages 5:17-26.
In the beginning of chapter 5, Jesus is calling his first disciples, but also has a great crowd of followers. Perhaps his growing fame is why the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who were the religious leaders at the time, chose to travel from Judea and Jerusalem to find out who this Jesus was. Jesus is challenging the 'old way' and presenting a 'new way', a 'better way', and it seems the religious leaders felt threatened by Jesus.
In v17, before being introduced to the paralysed man, or his friends, Luke makes a very interesting statement about Jesus and how he has been operating in this 'new way'. He writes, 'the power of the Lord was with him to heal'. We see since Jesus' baptism and temptations that he has been operating in the Holy Spirit, although a reasonable argument could be made for him doing so before then. However, this statement should remind us of other times where this 'power' is mentioned.
We may be reminded of the passage in Acts that says 'you will receive power from on high when the spirit comes upon you'. This power released on Jesus' disciples is the same power that came upon Jesus at his baptism.
We may also be reminded of the woman in Luke 8, who touched jesus and immediately was healed. In this story, Jesus perceived that power had gone out of him.
There are similarities in the story from Luke 8 and the story of the Paralytic. There are large crowds surrounding Jesus in both but perhaps the more striking similarity is found in the answer Jesus gives.
Faith seems to be the key component. Interestingly, the woman is healed because of her faith, whereas the man is told his sins are forgiven because of the faith of his friends. Subsequently he also receives a physical healing.
Faith is not the same as believing, and in both stories their faith required action. This is wonderfully demonstrated by the effort made from the mans friends to get him to Jesus.
The question of who Jesus is, has and will continue to be asked throughout Luke and once again the pharisees question his authority to forgive sins. The last time Jesus' authority was questioned, was during the temptation narrative, when being questioned by the devil. In that instance, Jesus did not take the easy way out by giving in to temptation, but rather chose the more difficult route. When speaking to the man, it would have been easy for Jesus to just say 'your sins are forgiven', but he proved that he actually has the authority by immediately healing the man. This was undoubtedly the more difficult route. Luke uses the word Parachrma (immediately), to show the ease at which Jesus heals, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
If this demonstration wasn't enough clear evidence of who Jesus is, he also refers to himself as the 'Son of man'. Son of man is used by Jesus over 80 times throughout the gospels, and with such frequency, that its meaning lies in something far greater than just Jesus humanity. It is in fact a title of divinity seen in Daniel 7, where it says, 'one like a Son of man'. By referring to himself as 'Son of man', Jesus is directly answering the question of who he is.
The chapter ends with Jesus answering a question about fasting and again Luke is emphasising the 'new way' introduced by and through Jesus. This theme of Jesus versus religious leader of the time, is continued throughout the gospel. The very next chapter begins in verse 5 with Jesus saying the Son of man is lord of the Sabbath again showing that he is greater.
The story of the paralytic is not just a random story included by Luke but a wonderful demonstration of who Jesus is and why his way is far greater. The fact that this story is nicely positioned between two stories of Jesus calling disciples, perhaps suggests that this story has implications and importance for his followers too. As followers of Christ, this story helps us to know that this 'new way' through Jesus is the best way. The same Holy Spirit which was upon Jesus to proclaim good news to the poor, bring liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty to those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the lords favour, can come upon all those who put their faith in him.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Bent knees, wet eyes and a broken heart
Stephen f. Olford was an incredibly influential Christian leader in the 20th century.
He was once asked what was the secret of Christian leadership?
Olford responded by saying, "Bent knees, wet eyes and a broken heart".
Its my desire this year that the Lord would break me and break the hearts of his church.
We need to be daily on our knees before God seeking out what his heart is for our city and for our nation.
To be so moved by the brokenness of the people here that it moves us to tears. Jesus wept over the state of Jerusalem because of his deep love for her. When was the last time I was so moved that I was not just brought to tears, but really wept? Have I ever really wept? Can I honestly say my heart breaks for this city?
When the prophets interceded on behalf of the people of jerusalem they didn't just pray for the people to come to repentance but they aligned themselves fully with the people and saw that they also needed to repent. Paul when writing to Timothy said "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of which I am the worst". Do I look with pity on those who are stuck in sin and don't know Christ or do I have the attitude of Paul where I see myself no better than those around me and just as much in need of Gods grace and forgiveness. When I pray for the lost I don't want to be praying out of pity, but out of passion and compassion always aware of my need for forgiveness and Gods abounding grace.
God is doing a great work in our city and we can only be effective in our calling if we approach God, on bent knees, with wet eyes and a broken heart.
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